May your coming year be filled with magic and dreams and good madness. Don’t forget to make art - write or draw or BUILD - or sing or LIVE only as you can. And I hope, somewhere in the next year, you surprise yourself. 

Hi Friends, I hope you take in that above mantra for the new year because I know I will!!!

I am excited to share with you my new blog name and provide some explanation behind why I chose Hillside Casa BUT first I wanted to say THANK YOU to all of you who have been following along and supporting our journey of building two homes and two(sort of 3) very large garages in the last 4 years, getting married, and having a child.

When I first started out blogging all I wanted was to share our journey of building our Forever Home. I had no idea how much extra it would bring to my life. The stories I've followed, the friendships I've built. It hasn't always been an uphill journey but it has showed me how to be more open minded that's for sure!

The name was seemingly simple - I knew I wanted the word "Hill" because our area is known as "the hills" not only that but our house itself is on a hill! Since we are so high we have some pretty nice views of our front yard and newly backyard that we created. My second word was "Casa" - for me casa has such a nice flow AND home is where our heart belongs. Hillside Home sounded a bit off. That's it. Nothing too complicated.

With this change I also wanted to share more on the blog - what happens at Hillside Casa? Not only building that is for sure. We have 49 acres with a ton of walking trails. We like to try out new recipes. Day road trips to visit local small towns is something we love to do as a family. On a personal side I've always loved shopping. I have been known to take "me" days and explore different malls. I know very silly way to waste your time but for me it is relaxing! I am also hoping to share some lifestyle changes I've had to make once we really started country living with that will bring reviews on outdoor wear, tools,and necessary equipment needed when owning a large piece of land.

Now I want to hear from all of you! What would you like to hear more about? Any burning questions about country living? Videos of our DIY projects? Let me know in the comments!!

Don't forget to follow me on Instagram, Twitter and soon I will have a Facebook page.